Chapter 9
I really thought I was going to die.
Whoosh—!
Right before being engulfed in flames, a dagger suddenly flew toward Lee Cheoeum.
He wondered if that insane arsonist was throwing a dagger to make sure he died properly… but—
Clang!
The dagger struck the helmet, and at the same time, the large cloak attached to the dagger wrapped around his body.
Whoosh!
Flames surged over Lee Cheoeum’s body as he collapsed from the impact.
…And yet, he did not burn.
“Whoa, damn…! I almost committed murder!”
The one who had started the fire—Go Hwarang—rushed out, clutching his chest.
He had been preparing to wipe everything out with flames, thinking everyone had already evacuated, but only noticed belatedly that a black helmet was still wandering around.
“Hey! Are you alive?”
Go Hwarang hurried over to the fallen figure.
The dagger—more precisely, Go Hwarang’s weapon called the “Great Wheel Spoke”—had been thrown with controlled force, lodging only into the helmet’s surface and securing the cloak.
Beneath the cloak, the body was completely unharmed, with not a single burn.
<Item Information> Name: Robe of the Thirteenth King Description: Crafted from the shadow cast on the day when a sundial’s shadow moved ten degrees backward. It strongly resists all flame attacks. Fire illuminates darkness, but darkness does not realize it. Grade: A +
The flame-resistant cloak item had blocked the fire.
“Thank goodness.”
Just as Go Hwarang sighed in relief—
“Branch Leader Go Hwarang.”
Polished Oxford shoes entered his field of vision.
Though they were technically competitors, this wasn’t the kind of misfortune one could mock.
“…Haa.”
Letting out a sigh at the S-rank reverse flow disaster, Go Hwarang straightened his crouched posture.
A young man dressed entirely in black, from head to toe like mourning attire.
“Yuseongwoo.”
One of only four S-rank apostles in the country—Meteor Shower of Burim.
He was as lofty as his authority over the stars beyond humanity’s reach. Normally, his poker face never broke.
But now his expression was frozen cold… and—
“The reverse flow has progressed quite far.”
Glint.
Across the center of his face, the Cassiopeia constellation in the shape of a “W” shimmered faintly.
It was a rare sign of emotional disturbance.
Normally, Go Hwarang might have joked about using it as mood lighting, but now he fixed his gaze toward the entrance with a hardened expression.
For B-rank reverse flows, only the responsible faction and nearby factions must resolve the situation. However, for A-rank and above—classified as national disasters—the situation was different.
The five major apostle organizations representing Korea, the “Five Great Branches,” were obligated to participate regardless of circumstances.
“<Haya> has most of its key personnel inside another trial, so they’ll only join near the end. <Chelachal> said only their branch leader Finalnal could barely make it from the Mediterranean… <Ganabi> will arrive soon, but we shouldn’t expect meaningful assistance.”
With limited support from the other three branches—
“In the end, <Burim> and <Carmel> will have to handle this.”
Go Hwarang, leader of Carmel, swept his hair back.
“Soon, the ‘Overwhelming Reverence’ will end. We need to enter.”
At his firm declaration, Yuseongwoo spoke in a low voice.
“Shall we make an oath?”
Go Hwarang turned to him.
He wouldn’t be asking for something like “please help resolve it diligently.” Both Carmel and Burim were already obligated to act properly, or they’d be branded traitors.
So what did Yuseongwoo want?
“Are you asking me to speak favorably about Burim during the post-resolution interview?”
If Go Hwarang—who participated in the resolution—said something like “Burim did their best, so don’t throw stones at them,” it would help control public opinion.
Yuseongwoo’s eyes curved slightly, as if that were the correct answer.
“If you have any particular requests, please speak.”
Go Hwarang stroked his chin.
There was always friction among the Five Great Branches, but there was no major conflict between Carmel and Burim at the moment. Saying something favorable in an interview wouldn’t hurt.
“Then later, let’s cooperate on something of similar scale.”
Getting a small favor here was a fair deal.
Press.
Using the end of his reverse-held wheel-spoke weapon, Go Hwarang pressed against Yuseongwoo’s solar plexus.
“[This is the mark of the oath between you and me.]”
[Someone has requested an oath from you.]
“I will not speak ill of Burim or you in public regarding this resolution. In return, you will provide similar assistance to me in the future.”
As Go Hwarang spoke, Yuseongwoo silently observed his red eyes.
Go Hwarang, the second branch leader of Carmel.
He looked like a thug, seemingly unintelligent—but in reality, he was sharp and perceptive.
Though it was unclear how this debt might be used in the future…
“…I accept.”
For Yuseongwoo, it was not a matter he could refuse.
[The oath has been established.]
[Your soul is lightly bound to another.]
As an uncomfortable sense of restraint enveloped them, Go Hwarang shook his body in irritation.
“Alright then…”
He glanced back at the helmeted intruder, who had been temporarily set aside.
If we leave him here even briefly, it could be dangerous.
There was no time to take him somewhere safe…
“…Sigh.”
After brief consideration, Go Hwarang wrapped the intruder in his cloak.
This would protect against most impacts. It felt a bit empty to remove something he always wore like part of his body…
“People are more important than clothes…”
He had already contacted the relevant personnel to come retrieve any civilians. The cloak could be recovered later anyway.
Carefully hiding the intruder among the rubble, Go Hwarang gripped his twin wheel-spoke weapons.
“Let’s go.”
Whoooosh!
Flames surged along the tips of Go Hwarang’s blades.
Yuseongwoo confirmed the intruder with a glance, then floated upward like a feather, departing toward the entrance alongside Go Hwarang.
And after the two who had drawn all attention vanished from the scene—
…rustle.
Lee Cheoeum slowly opened his eyes.
.
.
.
Half a day later, after the “Grave of 185,000” reverse flow was resolved—
“Ugh… damn mental-type disaster.”
Exhausted beyond recognition, Go Hwarang muttered as he walked.
The sky, which had been blue when they entered the reverse flow, was now dark.
Go Hwarang was an A-rank apostle, but with cooperation he could resolve S-rank trials, and Yuseongwoo could handle them alone. Together, they should have finished quickly.
Yet—
“It took half a day… and we only managed to resolve it after <Ganabi> and <Haya> joined.”
Even though it ended without major damage, his mind felt uneasy because of that.
Go Hwarang replayed the earlier resolution.
The moment they entered the Pride Judge’s domain, the “End of Pride” bound their bodies. It froze them like prey before a predator.
But that much can be overcome.
Go Hwarang and Yuseongwoo stood at the forefront of disaster resolution. Suppressing fear was something they were used to.
However, against the periodic brainwashing of “Reverence,” and especially the overwhelming control of “Overwhelming Reverence” that completely incapacitated individuals, there was no easy solution.
If either Yuseongwoo or I had been brainwashed, the situation would have escalated exponentially.
The “Grave of 185,000” required destroying hundreds of statues, but they had to avoid the Pride Judge while doing so, stretching the resolution time endlessly.
In the end, both mental strain and time were heavily consumed.
“…I will not forget the debt I owe today. I will take my leave.”
Yuseongwoo’s face, as he left quickly after missing the golden window for public opinion control, was certainly worth seeing—but it wasn’t amusing.
“Ahh… no… p-please save me!”
“Ugh… gghk…”
The sight of people collapsing helplessly under fear lingered in his mind. Many of them were familiar faces—individuals who were normally steadfast in battle, reduced to helplessness like fetuses under mental assault.
Was there truly no way to armor the mind?
That question circled endlessly in Go Hwarang’s thoughts.
“…Sigh.”
No point dwelling on an unsolved problem. He should just go home and read.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Go Hwarang entered the apostle encampment—
“—You’re saying there was no one where I told you?”
And then he was confronted with shocking news.
Personnel had arrived after receiving the request to retrieve civilians but found no one. Even after the resolution, a search of the area turned up neither a helmeted corpse nor any injured individuals.
Which meant…
That intruder had survived and walked away on their own.
The problem was that they had left wearing Go Hwarang’s item.
“…My clothes.”
Go Hwarang collapsed to the ground.
Th-that item…
It was something he had cherished since awakening—something he had worn constantly without ever parting from it.
Go Hwarang clutched his head with both hands.
“Damn it… my clothes—!”
You thief!!!
His roar echoed emptily into the void.
